Friday, November 14, 2014

I had these fall and holiday cottage stitched pieces sitting on my "to finish" table for weeks before deciding to make them both basket-fronts. Well, that's a lie. I first decided to make the fall cottage a basket-front, fell in love with it, and decided to copy it for Christmas.

I also had these two larger-sized identical baskets that had been sitting in my inventory for quite a while just waiting for the perfect design and I'm really happy with my decision to use them for these two pieces. I love the look and feel of the cottage landscapes and I'm glad that it came together the way it did.

Monday, November 3, 2014

Lately I've developed an obsession with owls. Well maybe obsession is too strong a word. It's not like I'm starting to hoard them and have them in every nook and cranny of the house. But I do have enough around that when a new one appears my husband notices and says, "Really? Another one?"

It does seem that they are suddenly everywhere though, doesn't it? They're extremely trendy right now.

Here are a few of my favorites I have around the house:

Owl on a Branch

My dad carved this gorgeous owl for me a few months ago. Isn't that crazy? I still can't get over how in the world it's made from wood. Even the bottom that looks like rock is wood. Crazy!

I had originally placed him in my family room on a coffee table, but apparently the eyes on this thing looked just a little too real for Bentley's liking and the owl has since been moved to the living room on a much-higher table. Poor Bentley. We wondered why he kept hugging the wall on the opposite side of the room. Then, when he started barking and growling at the owl from no closer than 12-feet away, it all made sense. I can't blame him really. The eyes creep me out a little bit too -- especially in the dark!

Owl Centerpiece

A few weeks ago at the Big E (the largest fair in the Northeast), I stopped in to one of my favorite vendors, Milk and Quakers, a handmade gift shop that features country home decor and fell in love with this owl centerpiece. He's absolutely perfect.

Owl Measuring Spoons

One of my most favorite additions is my little measuring spoon rack. My mom bought this from QVC I believe, as part of a Temptations hand-painted set. I hate to have clutter on my kitchen counters, but I made an exception for this little guy and put him right next to my Kitchenaid mixer. So cute!

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Just mailed 12 copies of one of my favorite cards to a great group of girls I had the honor of meeting last month. I received such great feedback from this particular group who attended my session that I really wanted to thank them by making them each a card and really personalizing each one. What I didn't anticipate was how much work hand-coloring 12 of these cards at one time would be. Though it's still one of my favorite cards, I highly doubt I'll miss making another one in the near future!

Friday, October 24, 2014

Really excited that I was able to finish some new mixed media beaded necklaces for the shop. It's been a little while since I've been able to get some new inventory up and running. These beaded necklaces literally take hours (and sometimes days) to create, but the results are always worth it. There's a mixture of wood, clay, paper, gemstones and art beads in each and every one and no two are ever alike -- unless custom ordered of course!

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